Etihad Airways celebrates social media success

Wins Best Emerging Airline on Social Media Award at the SimpliFlying Awards

18 Sep 2014 09:00

Etihad Airways is celebrating social media success after being named winner of the Best Emerging Airline on Social Media Award at the SimpliFlying Awards 2014, and for having reached one million Facebook fans globally.

Etihad
Airways is celebrating social media success after being named winner of the
Best Emerging Airline on Social Media Award at the SimpliFlying Awards 2014,
and for having reached one million Facebook fans globally.

The SimpliFlying Awards
recognise the best social media campaigns and practices in the aviation
industry. The winners were announced at a glittering ceremony during the Travel
Distribution Summit North America in New York this week, attended by more than
400 travel and hospitality executives.

A
rigorous process of public voting and an expert panel of judges selected the
UAE flag carrier as winner of the Best Emerging Airline on Social Media Award,
in recognition of the airline’s sophisticated strategy, engaging content,
targeted promotions and campaigns, and focused community management over the past 12 months.

Etihad
Airways undertook various initiatives on its social networking pages to engage
fans and build a stronger bond with them, alongside generating revenue for the
airline. The pages provide real-time news updates about the brand,
sponsorships, route additions, products and services, special offers and
brand-engaging games.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial
Officer, said: “Social media channels have become a vital part of our broader
digital and communications activity. This award further inspires us to be pioneers
in the global travel industry in terms of recognising and harnessing the power
of social media, and telling the Etihad Airways story in innovative ways.”

Shashank Nigam, SimpliFlying’s CEO, said: “Etihad Airways has adopted a methodological approach to social
media marketing, resulting in a dramatic increase in engagement over the last
year, particularly around the launch of their new Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus
A380 products, which will be taking to the skies in December. The airline came
from behind and has taken the competition by storm.”

LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional
network on the Internet, recently revealed Etihad Airways as the most influential
brand headquartered in the UAE based on engagement among LinkedIn’s membership
of 313 million professionals. The ranking follows a number of successful
campaigns the airline ran on the platform, taking its number of followers above
120,000.

Fresh from its social media achievements and
recognitions, Etihad Airways has reached the historic milestone of one million
fans on its Facebook page and over 100,000 followers on its Twitter account
(@EtihadAirways). The airline has witnessed considerable growth in the number
of social media users over the past year, more than doubling its Facebook
‘likes’ with an additional 512,000 fans and increasing its Twitter followers by
75 per cent.

In celebration of the achievements, the
airline has launched a ‘#OneMillionMoments’ social media promotion in which
fans can share photos of their memorable Etihad Airways travel moments using
Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for the chance to win a pair of Economy Class flight
tickets to anywhere on the airline’s flight network. The competition is open
until 30 September 2014, after which a panel of judges will choose the best
entry. For more information,
and to view the full terms and conditions for the promotion, visit Etihad
Airways’ Facebook page.

To expand its social media reach further, Etihad Airways has
launched a new Pinterest account, which will be used as a destination and inspirational
marketing tool. It will allow fans to connect and engage with the airline
directly through content on the Pinterest boards, featuring popular
destinations across the network, world-class products and services, and exciting
travel ideas.

“We are thrilled to launch our new Pinterest account,
which will anchor Etihad Airways as a key channel on the internet for travel
planning. Pinterest has enormous potential to reach our target market and create
brand associations through visually-appealing content,” Mr Baumgartner added.

Pinterest has become increasingly popular,
especially among women, with more than 70 million registered users worldwide,
of which 40 million are monthly active users. It is considered second only to
Facebook in social media in terms of sending referral traffic to websites.

Etihad
Airways continues to broaden its social media offerings and plans to develop an official blog
and launch new brand accounts in multiple languages. These new endeavours are
all part of an enduring effort from Etihad Airways to improve the experience of
fans of the airline, who can stay connected
with the airline by visiting any of its social media channels: